The Darkness That Cries
by StainedRed13
Summary: This is a complete novelization of the first Kingdom Hearts video game! Three children are longing to explore other worlds, when one night a storm seperates them in an irnoic twist leaving them stranded on other worlds. One takes a dark path, brought back to good by the hero in end, and another is trapped inside the hero, released through a great sacrifice. Will all three unite?
1. Chained Fates

It was bright, sunny day on Destiny Islands. Palm trees blowing in the graceful breeze, crabs dodging the slick waves, and a certain brown haired boy snoozing off in a dream, his name was Sora. The rays of the sun caught his eyes, and he woke up in surprise of the sudden warmth. Little did he know, his red headed best friend, Kairi, was anticipating him waking up and scared him.

"Whoa! Gimme me a break, Kairi…"

The young girl giggles at Sora's reaction, "Sora, you lazy bum. I knew that I'd find you snoozing down here."

"This huge black THING swallowed me up! I couldn't breathe, I couldn't-Ow!" Kairi bonked him on the head to get his attention.

"Are you still dreaming?"

"It wasn't a dream! Or was it? I don't know. What was that place? So bizarre…Say, Kairi, what was your hometown like? You know, where you grew up?"

Kairi sighed at the question of her past, "I've told you before, I don't remember."

"Nothing at all?"

She shook her head, "Nothing."

"You ever want to go back?" Sora made eye contact with Kairi's radiant blue eyes.

She smiled, "Well, I'm happy here. But you know…I wouldn't mind going to see it."

"I'd like to see it too. Along with any other worlds out there! I want to see 'em all!" Sora exclaimed while jumping up on the soft sand.

Little did they know, the oldest member of the trio, Riku, was watching from afar, and heard them making plans. Deciding to take charge, he joined in, "Hey, aren't you guys forgetting about me?"

Sora and Kairi looked up at Riku, and shrugged while smiling. Sora's however, was a smug one to his rival.

"So, I guess I'm the only one working on the raft?" Riku tossed a log, and Sora attempted to catch it with both hands, but miserably failed on contact, falling down with the log landing in his arms.

"You're just as lazy as he is Kairi!"

"Riku! You're so immature sometimes!" She rolled her eyes, "How about you and Sora finish the raft, while I go grab us some food?"

Riku huffed and got back to work, knowing full well not to change Kairi's mind. Last time he tried, he got hit on the head hard with a coconut. Still having a mild bump, he tried not to remember how much it swelled up. He hoped Sora would be quick to get the supplies and not be so behind as usual. Brushing off his hands to make sure no splinters were sticking out, he grabbed the rope and began to tie the logs together to make the main part of the raft. Luckily, Riku had good upper body strength to do all the dirty work around Destiny Islands. Three fourths of the raft became all knotted together securely in less than fifteen minutes.

Footsteps were coming up behind him and he jumped in surprise when the rest of supplies where thrown at his feet. "Sora! You didn't have to throw them at me!"

"Did I scare you Riku?" A cheeky grin spread across his face.

Riku pinched one of Sora's cheeks and tossed his head to left, "Ha-ha, very funny!"

"Well it looks like you're about done here, I'm going to go get some food cause I'm starvin'!"

"Not so fast slowpoke, Kairi's already on that mission for us. Our duty is to complete the raft."

"Ugh! Do I have too?" Sora groaned.

"If you want food, than yes. Plus, you need more exercise considering how I beat you in that race earlier today."

Sora sighed, "Don't remind me…"

Picking up the rest of the logs and placing them in position, Riku handed Sora the rope and he began to tie them together just as done before. Knotted twice and around the log, tie and repeat. Sora's hands were covered in rope burns by the time he finished his part of the job. Riku walked over to put the mast in place along with a hand made flag Kairi made for all of them. Standing back from their creation, they both felt proud of themselves for completing their project.

"Hey! Riku! Sora! I got the food over here so we can watch the sunset together before our adventure tomorrow!"

The boys ran over as fast as they could, since both of their stomachs were 'dying' of starvation. After they filled their stomachs with all they could hold, they sat and gazed out at the bright orange circle reflecting on the sea. Not a single wind could be felt, just peacefulness.

Sora leaned back quietly asked Riku, "So, Kairi's home is out there somewhere, right?"

"Could be. We'll never know by staying here though."

"But how far could a raft take us?"

"Who knows? If we have to, we'll think of something else."

Kairi chimed in their conversation, "So, suppose you get to another world. What would you do there?"

A long sigh could be heard from Riku who was sitting in the middle between the other two, "Well, I haven't really thought about it. It's just…I've always wondered why we're here on this island. If there are any other worlds out there, why did we end up on this one? And suppose there are other worlds…Then ours is just a little pieces of something much greater. So we could have just easily ended up somewhere else, right?"

"I don't know," answered Sora.

"That's why we need to go out there and find out. Just sitting here won't change a thing. It's the same old stuff. So let's go."

Kairi admired Riku's insight on this mind-boggling topic, "You've been thinking about this a lot, haven't you?"

"Thanks to you. If you hadn't come here, I probably would've never thought of any of this. Kairi, thanks."

She blushed slightly, "You're welcome."

Later, Sora, Riku, and Kairi walk back to the house. Then, Riku called out for Sora.

Just as Sora turned around, an object plopped down in his hands.

"You wanted one, didn't you?"

Sora gazed at the rare delicacy, "A paopu fruit..."

"If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined. They'll remain a part of each other's lives no matter what. C'mon, I know you want to try it." Riku teased his friend, while giving him a noogie.

Sora and Riku went back to their homes and slept dreaming about the paopu fruit and gets to share it with Kairi. Bright and early the next morning they all met by the raft. The boys couldn't resist grinning stupidly at each other.

"You guys at it again? All right, I'll be the judge! The usual rules apply: Take any route you want... First one to tag that tree and make it back here wins."

Sora couldn't wait, "Alright! If I win, I'm captain! And if you win..."

"I get to share the paopu with Kairi."

"Huh?"

"Deal? The winner gets to share a paopu with Kairi."

"Wha... Wait a minute..." Sora was soon distracted by his friend's proposition.

"GO!" Kairi shouted from the raft.

The race begins. Sora got a late start due to still thinking about the paopu fruit, and Riku was blasting ahead of him. The determined boy pushed as fast as his legs could carry him to catch up to his rival. Starting to ease his breath at a steady pace, he soon gained speed. Riku looked behind him in surprise at how fast Sora was catching up to him. This time, Riku pushed harder, and now the two were neck in neck. Both touching the tree precisely the same time, they turned around and started back towards the beach. Kairi saw the two pushing to their limit, and giggled a little to herself at their expressions. Trying to catch their breath, they arrived and collapsed on the white sand.

Kairi stood up, and put her hands on her hips, "And it was a TIE! Congratulations to both of you! Ha-ha, now bring all the supplies on these lists back to me when you're done searching. We need food and water for our voyage. Go and get to work!"

The boys groaned in response and both set off. While gathering provisions, Sora enters what's known as the 'Secret Place' and walks into the cave protected by tree roots. Memories flashed in front of his eyes as he saw the carving that Kairi and him made together when they were kids. Going up to the old drawing, Sora decided to add the paopu fruit in his hand, handing it to Kairi. Smiling at his additions, he suddenly whipped around. He felt a presence behind him, "Wh-Who's there?"

An ominous voice echoed through the dark, "I've come to see the door to this world."

"Huh?"

"This world has been connected." Sora could now see a silhouette of dark, hooded figure. Judging by the tone of the voice, it was a man's.

"Wh-What are you talking about?"

"Tied to the darkness...soon to be completely eclipsed."

"Well, whoever you are, stop freaking me out like this!"

"You do not yet know what lies beyond the door."

Sora gasped, "So, you're from another world!"

"There is so very much to learn. You understand so little."

"Oh, yeah? Well, you'll see. I'm gonna get out and learn what's out there!"

The cloaked figure laughed to himself, "A meaningless effort. One who knows nothing can understand nothing."

The hooded man suddenly vanished into a dark, opaque door. Sora shook his head from what had just occurred. Where did he come from? What did he mean by 'tied to the darkness?' Sora realized he had been holding his breath the whole time his thoughts were swirling in his head, and gasped for oxygen. Exiting the cave, Sora handed the food and water to Kairi. They could both see the sunset coming across the ocean, and they decided to sit at the dock together, since Riku went back home after he gave his provisions to Kairi.

The young girl breathed and stared into the sun, "You know, Riku has changed."

"What do you mean?"

"Well..." Kairi started, but shook her head to ignore the thought.

"You okay?"

She regained her composure and looked at her friend, "Sora, let's take the raft and go - just the two of us!"

"Huh?" Sora didn't know where she was going with this...

"Just kidding!" She laughed.

"What's gotten into you? You're the one that's changed, Kairi."

"Maybe... You know, I was a little afraid at first, but now I'm ready. No matter where

I go or what I see, I know I can always come back here. Right?"

"Yeah, of course!" He smiled.

"That's good. Sora, don't ever change."

Soon as the trio was about to find out, that there were more than Destiny Islands out there. One of these places happened to be 'King Mickey's Castle;' A world where King Mickey ruled and watched over to ensure the safety of the residents. Donald Duck, the castle's mage was doing his rounds around the castle, and stopped by the throne room to greet the morning to his ruler. But what he found, was the not the king, but a little note scribed by the majesty himself:

_Donald,_

_Sorry to rush off without sayin' goodbye, but there's big trouble _

_brewin'. Not sure why, but the stars have been blinkin' out, one by one. _

_And that means disaster can't be far behind. I hate to leave you all _

_but I've gotta go check into it. There's someone with a "key"-the key to _

_our survival. So I need you and Goofy to find him, and stick with him. _

_Got it? We need that key or we're doomed! So go to Traverse Town and _

_find Leon. He'll point you in the right direction._

_P.S._

_Would ya apologize to Minnie for me? Thanks pal._

Donald struck with worry and rushed to the Queen's room where Daisy and Goofy were discussing important means. "Your Highness! I went to greet the King and he left a letter for all of us!"

All four of them read the letter, and everyone looked to Queen Minnie for an answer, "It means we'll just have to trust the King."

Donald bowed out of respect, "Your Highness. Don't worry. We'll find the king and this "key."

"Thank you, both of you. We hope for your safe return. Please help the King."

Donald Duck agreed to the hard journey and Goofy salutes next to Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck, as if he wasn't accompanying the mage.

He soon realizes this and snatches the knight's arm, "Oh, you're coming too!"

Jiminy Cricket was going with them on their trek. Goofy decided to ask him about his own world disappearing.

"It was terrible. We were scattered. And as far as I can see, I'm the only one who made it to this castle," he confessed.

"Goofy?" Donald didn't want Goofy get sidetracked with all the chit -chat.

"Oh, right... I gotcha," he filled Jiminy in, "While we're in the other worlds, we can't

let on where we're from. We've gotta protect the world border."

"Ah-hem, 'order'!" The mage quacked.

"Right. World order."

Goofy, Donald, and Jiminy enter the Gummi Ship and prepare for their world flight. Flipping on all the switches and opening up the hatch, they were ready for blast off!

At Destiny Islands, the weather wasn't as sunny and warm as it usually was. A dark, gloomy storm was roaming in on the front of the horizon. Sora peaked out from his window and saw the clouds. "A storm? Oh no! The raft!"

Dashing out his front door, he leaped across the steps and rushed to the mini island where all of their hard effort was. When he came a little closer to the raft, a group of dark, short figures with yellow eyes appeared in front of him, blocking his way. Searching for an alternate path, he sees Riku standing and staring at the storm clouds. "Where's Kairi? I thought she was with you!"

"The door has opened..."

"What?"

"The door has opened, Sora! Now we can go to the outside world!"

"What are you talking about? We've gotta find Kairi!"

"Kairi's coming with us! Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!"

"Riku!"

The black shadowy circles engulf Sora and Riku with heavy pressure. Sora reached out towards his friend's hand to get him back on the island, but it was no use. Riku was enveloped by the shadows.

A mysterious light appeared beside him and a giant key landed in Sora's hands. Gripping the weapon, he ran to the 'Secret Place' to find Kairi. There was something there that hadn't appeared before; A gleaming white door, looking as smooth as glass. He peered in and saw his best friend, "Kairi!"

Kairi mustered up all the strength she had to talk, "Sora…" She was in pretty bad shape by the sound of it.

Suddenly, the white door opened behind her and writhing black wind came out. Kairi suddenly got blown closer to Sora. He tried to hold Kairi in his arms to tell her that she was safe, but she vanished into thin air.

Sora was blown away into the darkness.


	2. The Keyblade

Donald and Goofy arrived in Traverse Town, but everything was getting worse by the minute. The town seem deserted; no shops were open, not a person in sight. Both of them looked up the gloomy sky. "Look! A star's going out!" Goofy exclaimed.

"Come on, let's hurry and go find that key," Donald pulled his pal by the sleeve to stop him from stargazing. Pluto, King Mickey's faithful hound, was accompanying them as well, and was sniffing out for any clues.

Goofy stopped suddenly and spoke his thoughts, "Hey, ya know, maybe we ought to go find Leon." He saw Pluto heading in a different direction than they were walking to and wondered what he was tracking.

"Aw, what do you know, you big palooka?" Donald said sarcastically to his pal.

The two moved onwards on their mission, leaving Pluto to his dog ways. Little did the knight and mage know, was that he was on the right track. Pluto spotted a person knocked out in an alley. Curious, he started to lick the person's face, wondering if he was okay.

Sora was coming too and was still hazy from his trip, "Man, what a dream…" Pluto tries to hop onto Sora to get him fully awake, "Whoa! This isn't a dream! Where am I? Do you know where we are boy?" he asked Pluto.

Being the dog he is, Pluto hopped around Sora and ran off motioning for him to follow his trail. Sora looked around while being guided, and the boy went over to a shop that seemed to be vacant. However, someone was running it still, "Hey there, how can I – Aw, it's only a kid."

"I'm not a kid! And the name's Sora!"

"Okay, okay, simmer down. So why the long face, Sora? You lost or somethin'?"

"No! Well, maybe. Where are we? I came from Destiny Islands from this big, black swirling hole."

"You're in Traverse Town. Why do you look so skeptical?"

"So, gramps, is this really another world?" Sora questioned.

"Don't call me gramps! The name's Cid! Anyway... Not sure what you're talkin' about, but this sure ain't your island."

"Hmm... Guess I'd better start looking for Riku and Kairi."

"Well, good luck with whatever it is you're doing. If you ever run into trouble, you come to me. I'll look out for you," Cid smiled and shook Sora's hand.

Sora decided to follow Pluto some more, and while walking around he saw a sign that read, 'Second District.' At least now, he what street he was on. He turned a corner and saw a man lying down, absolutely still. Sora wondered if he was dead or not. In answer to his question, a heart floated above the man and vanished instantly. One of the creatures with yellow eyes appeared in its place.

"Its those creatures from the island!" Sora's keyblade appeared into his hands as a group of shadows came upon him. Gripping it tight, he swung the weapon and hit the shadows. Every time he'd attack one, they disappear in a black mist. He must have defeated at least ten of them, before they were fully gone.

A male voice came from behind him, "They'll come at you out of nowhere." The man was tall and had long, dark brown hair, with spikes at the bangs. He also was carrying a huge sword with a gun connected to it at the handle. Sora had never seen one of those before, let alone a keyblade.

"Who are you?"

The man continued his thoughts, "And they'll keep on coming at you, as long as you continue to wield the Keyblade. But why? Why would it choose a kid like you?"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Never mind. Now, let me see that Keyblade."

Sora looked at the keyblade, and held it even tighter, "What? There's no way you're getting this!"

"All right, then have it your way."

The man lunges at Sora with his own weapon, and hits the keyblade. Not a scratch was left on it. Sora did a dodge roll to avoid flurry of strikes aimed at his head. The keyblade did the job of defense, that's for sure, but it had no way of striking the oncoming perpetrator. Running out of stamina, Sora fell down onto his knees, as his vision got blurry. He collapsed on the street.

"Gawrsh, there's nobody here. Sure is spooky!" Goofy exclaimed while looking around the ghost town.

"Aw, phooey. I'm not scared," Donald huffed. A woman in a pink dress with brown hair taps her finger on his shoulder. Reacting out of fear, Donald grabbed onto Goofy hoping he would save him. Slowly turning around they spot the young lady.

"Excuse me. Did the king send you?" she asked.

They both nod and become more relaxed, seeing as the woman knows where they are from. Tagging alongside her, they head to a European styled hotel. Unsure of what waits for them, they kept their guard up.

Meanwhile, Sora was still dazed. Barely opening up his eyes, he saw Kairi asking if he was okay.

"I guess I am…"

"Those creatures that attacked you are after the Keyblade. But it's your heart they really want, because you wield the Keyblade," she explained to Sora.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Kairi."

"Kairi? Who are you talking about? I'm the great ninja Yuffie," the girl's voice seemed to change. Sora woke up with a start and was staring at a girl probably about his age, who was indeed, a ninja by the looks of it. She laughed, "I think you might've overdone it, Squall."

The man that attacked Sora before grumbled, not wanting to be addressed by that name, "That's Leon."

"The Keyblade... Yeah, we had to get it away from you to shake off those creatures. It turns out that's how they were tracking you," Yuffie informed Sora.

"It was the only way to conceal your heart from them. But it won't work for long. Still hard to believe that you of all people are the chosen one," Leon stated. The lean muscular man picked up the keyblade to get a closer look. However, it had different plans; vanishing and reappearing back into Sora's hands. Leon sighed, "Well, I suppose beggars can't be choosers…"

Sora heaved in confusion, "Why don't you start making sense! What's going on here?"

"You were attacked by creatures called Heartless," the ninja said.

"The Heartless?"

Leon sighed again, seeing as the boy wasn't catching onto anything that was being said," Those without hearts. The darkness in people's hearts – that's what attracts them. And there is darkness within every heart."

Donald, Goofy, and the women whose name was Aerith, were discussing about the Heartless and who was the source of their power. "There is a powerful man by the name of Ansem who we believe is controlling them."

"Ansem?" Goofy wondered.

She nodded, "He was studying the Heartless. He recorded all of his findings in a very detailed report."

"Gawrsh, uh, can we see it?"

"Its pages are scattered everywhere."

"Scattered?" the mage questioned.

"Through all the worlds."

A lightbulb popped up in Goofy's head, "Then maybe that's the King went lookin' for."

"Yes, those were my thoughts exactly," Aerith nodded.

"We've gotta find him quick!"

Donald stopped all the excitement, "Wait! First, we gotta find that 'key'!"

"That's right. The Keyblade."

In the other room, Sora was learning more and more than he'd ever known about himself. With all of this new information, it was quite confusing. "So…this is the key?"

Yuffie clapped now getting Sora to know more about his weapon, "Exactly!"

"The Heartless have great fear of the Keyblade. That's why they'll keep coming after you no matter what," Leon played with his Gunblade.

Sora sighed, "Well, I didn't ask for this."

"The Keyblade chooses its master. And it chose you."

"How did all this happen? I remember being in my room..." Sora eyes grew wide in realization of all the events that have had happened, "Wait a minute! What happened to my home? My island? Riku! Kairi!"

Leon shook his head, "You know what? I really don't know. Sooner or later, the Heartless will find you. You'd best prepare yourself to fight for your life. Yuffie, let's go join Aerith. She should be there by now, with the other visitors."

Suddenly, a Heartless Soldier appeared. In response, Yuffie ran out the bedroom door, she flattens Donald Duck between the door and the wall by accident. Aerith, who was guiding Goofy and Donald, sees Yuffie running down the hall with her weapons in hand. Leon readies his Gunblade, and Sora holds his Keyblade. The Heartless Soldier jumped out the window to get away, but Leon also jumped out the window, right on its tail. Sora decides to take the safe route that Yuffie took; the long way out the front door. The Heartless ran away out of their view.

Leon directed the group, "Don't bother with the small fry. Find the leader! Let's go!"

The duo was running on top of the balcony, chasing the Heartless. Sora was below them on the ground level, "Gawrsh, are these the Heartless guys?"

The Heartless lunged at Donald and Goofy and they fell off the balcony, and onto Sora's back, making all three of them dizzy. An enemy called a Guard Armor appeared, ready to attack the keyblade holder. Goofy and Donald held their staff and shield high in position. Fire magic struck the enemy and stunned, leaving a few burn marks on its body. Now that it was stunned, Sora took the opportunity to swipe a few times and weakened it even more. The Guard Armor did a body slam where Sora was, but Goofy eliminated the shockwave with his shield, guarding his friends. This time, Sora and Donald attacked at the same with magic and power, thus, destroying the huge enemy. A heart also floated above it, and vanished into thin air.

Catching their breath, Sora walked over to the duo, "So, you were looking for me?"

Donald and Goofy nodded in response. Leon came up behind them, "They, too, have been seeking the wielder of the Keyblade."

"Hey, why don't you come with us? We can go to other worlds on our vessel," Goofy offered to Sora.

He sighed thinking about his friends, "I wonder if I could find Riku and Kairi..."

"Of course," the mage answered.

Goofy turned, "Are you sure?"

"Who knows? But we need him to come with us to help us find the king."

Leon looked at Sora, "Sora, why don't you go with them? You'll probably find your friends."

"Yeah I guess…"

"But you can't come along looking like that. Understand? No frowning. No sad face. Okay?" Donald waved his finger.

Goofy made an interesting looking face, "Yeah, ya gotta look funny, like us!"

"This boat runs on happy faces."

"Happy?" Sora felt heavier by the minute. He decided to give it a shot by putting a big, cheeky grim on his face, making Donald and Goofy laugh. "Okay, why not? I'll go with you guys."

"Donald Duck."

"Name's Goofy."

"I'm Sora, nice to meet you."

They place their hands on top of each other's and raised them in the air, "All for one, and one for all!"

All of them headed back to the center of Traverse Town to prepare for the long journey that lies ahead of them.

"Make sure you're prepared for the journey ahead of you. We don't know how far the Heartless have spread," Leon told the newly made trio.

Aerith stepped up, "I hope you find your friends."

"Look out for each other. Keep your spirits up."


	3. Stuck In Wonderland

And so Sora and the duo from King Mickey's Castle venture off to new worlds of hopes and surprises. The Gummi ship looked difficult to pilot at first, but once Sora got the hang of it, he was pronounced captain of the team. They didn't know what to expect, but soon they were falling a long, dark tunnel. Swirling objects were floating around them in space; it was a very peculiar sight indeed. The trio touched the ground and saw a little white rabbit, with a waistcoat on, hopping about in a hurry for something.

"Oh, my fur and whiskers! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late! Oh, dear, oh dear, oh dear! I'm here. I should be there. I'm late, I'm late, I'm late! The queen, she'll have my head for sure!"

Curiosity struck them as they followed the White Rabbit, hoping to learn something about this unfamiliar world they ended up on. A big room loomed around the group as with all kinds of colors and furniture. There was a sign placed before the entrance labeled, 'Bizarre Room.' It was surely bizarre all right!

A small door was at the back of the room, and Sora realized that the rabbit must have gone through there, "How did he get so small?"

The DoorKnob simply huffed and yawned, "No, you're simply too big!"

Sora's group was shocked as to how an inanimate object could speak, and all gasped in surprise.

"Must you be so loud? You woke me up…"

Being as kind as Goofy is, he wanted to make the DoorKnob feel better, "Well, good morning!"

"Good night! I need a bit more sleep…"

Sora didn't want him to fall back into his slumber; he had so many questions to be answered, "Wait, what do we have to do to grow small?"

"Why don't you try the bottle," he yawned, "Over there?"

They looked up at the table mysteriously placed in the room, surely it had a small vile on it. Cautiously, each taking a sip, they grew small! Running through the DoorKnob's door, they race towards a large castle with hearts scattered across the outside. Walking through corridors, Sora hears voices and decides to track and follow them. Arriving on the scene, the group now sees the White Rabbit and three tall podiums raised from the ground.

The White Rabbit took out his trumpet, heaved a huge breath, and let out the call, "Court is now in session!"

A young girl with flowing blond hair, in a blue dress, with a white apron around it, questions the event-taking place, "I'm on trial? But why?"

The Queen of Hearts put young Alice on trial for her so called, 'wicked schemes.' "The girl is the culprit. There's no doubt about it. And the reason is…because I say so, that's why!"

The innocent girl gasped at her remark, "That is so unfair!"

"Well, have you anything to say in your defense?"

"Of course! I've done absolutely nothing wrong! You may be queen, but I'm afraid that doesn't give you the right to be so...so mean!"

"Silence! You dare defy me?"

Sora's group watches the trial intently. Being as caring as Sora is, he suggested, "We should help her out."

Donald Duck was about to fill him in, "Yeah, but the-"

"We're outsiders, so wouldn't that be muddling?" Goofy added.

"Meddling"!

"Oh, yeah. And that's against the rules."

Booming the final decision, the relentless Queen yells, "The court finds the defendant…guilty as charged! For the crimes of assault and attempted theft of my heart! Off with her head!"

Alice pleads with all her might, "No! No! Oh, please!"

Sora came out of the brush of red painted roses, "Hold it right there!"

The audience is stunned by the sudden appearance, "Who are you? How dare you interfere with my court?!"

"Excuse me. But we know who the real culprit is! She's not the one you're looking for."

The Queen of Hearts snorts, "That's nonsense. Have you any proof?" One of her Card Soldiers locks Alice up in a golden cage. "Bring me evidence of Alice's innocence! Fail and it's off with all your heads! Gather as much or little evidence as you please."

The trio decided to retrace their steps in order to find a place to search for the required evidence to free Alice from her doom. Walking on the smooth, glistening path, they ended up in front of a large, looming forest. Filled with tall trees, and flowers assorted in all colors, this place was certainly quite the maze. There was a sign that read, "Lotus Forest."

Appearing out of nowhere, perched on a tree branch, a pink and purple striped cat stared at them smiling.

Donald asked, "Who are you?"

The sly cat purred, "Who, indeed? Poor Alice. Soon to lose her head, and she's not guilty of a thing!"

"Hey, if you know who the culprit is, tell us!" Sora pleaded.

"The Cheshire Cat has all the answers – but doesn't always tell. The answer, the culprit, the cat all lie in darkness…"

"Wait!"

In the bat of an eyelash, the Cheshire Cat vanished in a silky smoke. However, his voice still sang throughout the woods, "They've already left the forest. I won't tell which exit. There are four pieces of evidence in all. Three are a cinch to find. The fourth is tricky. Big reward if you find them all."

"Should we trust him?" Donald wondered.

"To trust, or not to trust? I trust you'll decide!"

And so, the Keyblade holder, mage, and the knight set off to find the savior of Alice's head. Searching high and low, far and wide, all around the forest, they noticed a peculiar stench each time they fought the groups of Heartless who kept attacking them during their quest. A note was taken in their journal. Goofy noticed that there were dozens of footprints scattered about Wonderland, ultimately leading to the Heartless.

Donald realized that each time they took down a Shadow Heartless, their black antenna would fall off in the process of being swung around by the Keyblade. Sora decided to put a pair of them in his pocket as evidence. While jumping from tree branch, to tree branch, the group all together saw a lot of claw marks by the Soldier Heartless. Most likely from them attempting to get away from being destroyed by the young hero. The poor things, climbing with all their might, but in the end, it surely wasn't enough to stop them from reaching their fate.

The Cheshire Cat appeared in front of them, "Well, look what you've found. Nice going."

Sora beamed, "Now we can save Alice!"

"Don't be so sure! She may be innocent, but what about you?"

The boy was puzzled, "What do you mean?"

He purred once again, "I won't tell. But I'll give you something."

The cat put his paw out and gave them a card with a symbol for ice on it. Sora later learned that not only can he wield the Keyblade, he can also use magic! It was a grand discovery explained by none other than the mage himself, Donald Duck.

Heading over to courtroom, Sora lays their evidence kept in boxes, on the ground.

The Queen laughed menacingly, "Well, that's certainly a lot of evidence, but I'm still not impressed. Cards! Bring forth my evidence! Hmm, checking all five would only be a waste of time. Alright, choose the one you wish to present. I'll decide who's guilty based on that specific piece of evidence."

Sora went limp, "What? After all the trouble of collecting it?"

"You dare object? Then you will lose your head! Now, choose, one box!"

Thinking carefully, Sora remembered what he had placed in each one. Picking the one in the middle, he slowly opened it. A Shadow Heartless popped out, than disappeared from being seen by so many people.

"What in the world was that?" The Queen asked, astonished.

"There's your evidence. Alice is innocent!"

She heaved in anger, "Silence! I'm the law here! Article 29: Anyone who defies the queen is guilty!"

Donald quaked, "That's crazy!"

"Seize them at once!"

The golden cage rises up with Alice still locked inside it, and the Cards go after Sora's gang.

Obviously, the Queen was still shouting orders, "Cards! If they touch the tower, you lose your heads!"

Cards and more Cards were fighting with spears representing their symbol on them; Hearts, Spades, Clubs, and Diamonds. Red and black everywhere you look, all honing in to get a piece of the trio. Sore figured out that in order to free Alice, they had to destroy the tower the Queen was violently shouting to protect. Donald and Goofy backed Sora up while he attacked the main target. Fire and Blizzard magic was spouting everywhere, all hitting the Cards on direct contact; damaging them a considerable amount. Goofy was blocking the fearful attacks with his trusty shield, than using a spin move to counterattack the deadly spears. Clash! Bang! In due time, the tower was finally on it's last brick. Sora winded up his last dose of power and collapsed the tower into bits. Running to get Alice out of the cage, when they arrived, Alice was gone! She disappeared for good!

Donald analyzed, "She must've gotten kidnapped while we were fighting!"

The Queen was quite frustrated at the outcome of her court "You fools! Find the one who's behind this! I don't care how!"

Once the heroic group recharged their stamina, they headed off to Lotus Forest, hoping to meet up with the Cheshire Cat to ask him for his input.

The mage, being the more talkative one questioned, "Have you seen Alice?"

"Alice, no. Shadow, yes!"

"Where did they go?" Goofy requested.

"This way? That way? Does it matter? Left, right, up, down! All mixed up thanks to the shadows! Step deeper into the forest to the deserted garden. You might find shadows in the upside-down room!"

Just the thought of being in a room that was literally upside-down, made the group feel a little nauseous. Going back to where they started their journey into this new world, they arrived at the Bizarre Room.

"They're hiding somewhere. And the momeraths outgrabe. Want to find the shadows? Try turning on the light." The Cheshire Cat informed from the darkness.

Sora's group touched one of the lights, hoping it would do something. The room got a little brighter, but it wasn't enough. Probing for a second lamp, they found it atop of a flipped picture frame.

"All the lights are on. You'll see the shadows soon. They'll arise in this room, but somewhere else. The shadows might go after that doorknob, too," grinned the Cat.

Heading all the way back to the normal Bizarre Room, a giant Heartless appeared! It was named the Trickmaster. Judging to be a powerful enemy, Sora and the duo quickly thought out a proper strategy. The Heartless has long spindly arms for long ranged attacks, and what appeared to be about five small red and black heads stacked on top of each other. He certainly was tall too! Launching a bunch of synchronized attacks, the trio stunned the giant and hit head on with maximized power. A combining of magic, and deafening strikes with the Keyblade. However, the Heartless had different plans, he wasn't going down without a good fight. A blaze of fire swept his entire right hand and he managed to knock Goofy pretty good who was guarding his friends. Donald recovered him with a healing spell. Sora swept down at the boss when he tired, and a blinding light soon covered its whole body. A dash of pink and white light flowed around him as he collapsed. A heart rose up from his body, and dissipated into the air. The trio could finally rest.

"What a racket. How's a doorknob to get any sleep?" Apparently, Mr. DoorKnob was still tired of his all day sitting against a wall.

However, as he yawned, a keyhole appeared in his mouth. Sora's keyblade emitted a beam that locked the keyhole, sealing the world from the Heartless.

"What was that?" Donald wondered. He'd never heard such a thing.

Sora recognized the sound, "You hear that? Sounded like something closed!"

Out of nowhere, a Gummi piece dropped on the ground in front of them.

Goody examined it, "This gummi ain't like the others. No, sir."

Once again, the Chesire Cat appears on top of the table, "Splendid. You're quite the hero. If you're looking for Alice, she's not here. She's gone! Off with the shadows, into the darkness."

Sora sighed and heaved in defeat. Now he was thinking all their work was for nothing.

Donald reassured him, "Let's go back to our gummi ship. We might find her in another world.


End file.
